Lehigh walk-on culture brings opportunities for athletes

With each incoming first-year class, Lehigh’s athletic teams and programs welcome new cohorts of recruited players. 

For high school athletes who haven’t been sought out to play at the college level, this doesn’t always mark the end of their athletic career. At Lehigh, walk-on culture has become an integral aspect of many athletic programs.  

According to Lehigh’s athletic department, approximately 50 students started the walk-on paperwork process in the compliance department, with 20 of those students being added to active rosters last year.   

According to Lehigh Sports’s walk-on policies, tryouts typically occur during the first few weeks of the fall semester to give every student an equal opportunity to make an athletics team. Students interested in trying out must fill out a packet that includes medical forms, NCAA rules and basic guidelines of the tryout process. 

Men’s wrestling coach Pat Santoro said he likes to understand every walk-on’s intentions and athletic background before tryouts to make sure they are dedicated to the sport. 

“I really like it when they come into the office, as it shows a real commitment,” Santoro said. “I want to know if they really want to wrestle, especially since our roster space is very tight.” 

Santoro said all athletes have an opportunity to bring something positive to a team, whether that be winning matches or being an encouraging teammate. He also said being a wrestling walk-on is a huge commitment, as it can be challenging to balance two workouts a day with a rigorous academic schedule. 

Despite this challenge, Santoro said walk-ons have become essential to the wrestling team, often being the hardest workers at practices. 

Santoro said one walk-on a few years back became “the ultimate team member.”

Sophomore Ava Albano said she craved  a sense of community at Lehigh in her first year. This prompted her to try out for the rowing team, though she didn’t have any prior experience. 

“(In) high school, I was a three-sport athlete,” Albano said. “So, coming to Lehigh, I needed some sort of structure with academics. I felt like the first week of school, I was kind of lost without practice, so my friend and I decided to go to a walk-on information session and try out.” 

Albano said she was nervous to try a new sport, but the walk-on process was well-structured and easy to follow.

Albano said those who didn’t have rowing experience went to practices, learned how to use an ergometer machine and learned to row on the water. She also said the coaches and upperclassmen made the experience enjoyable and inclusive from the start. 

Sophomore Gavin Chamberlain played football and ran track during high school, prompting him to walk-on to the track and field team at Lehigh last year. 

Chamberlain, who throws javelin, said his high school coach texted Lehigh’s track and field coach to express Chamberlain’s interest in walking-on in the fall. 

The only difference Chamberlain noticed about being a walk-on were the connections formed prior to pre-season and tryouts. He said recruits were able to connect at events and online before coming to campus, but didn’t end up being much of a hindrance.

Chamberlain said joining the track and field team has been a positive experience for him, specifically by allowing him to stay in shape and engage in competition. 

“Being on the team helps me stay on a tight schedule, and having this schedule keeps my weekly routine disciplined,” Chamberlain said. 

Albano said her closest friends are a mix of rowing walk-ons and recruits, and there is no separation between the two groups. What connects them is spending time together on the water every day and working towards the common goal of winning. She also frequently does homework and makes meals with her teammates. 

“Rowing has brought me a family here, and my experience at Lehigh would be completely different without the team,” Albano said. “If you’re looking for that structure in college, with a good academic-to-sport ratio, (walking-on)it is a very good balance.”